School of Chemistry

The never ending search for new materials with finely tuned electronic and magnetic properties has long been a major driving force in science and technology, and the design and synthesis of such compounds is a permanent challenge facing the solid state chemist. The primary aim of my research is the development and application of synthetic methods which focus on the topotactic modifcation of existing solids and which will help provide greater control in the formulation of new materials.

Zeolites and related framework structures may be used as both precursors and templates in the synthesis of materials with controlled morphologies at the nanoscale and sub-nanoscale level. Performing a 'molecular scaffolding' function, they facilitate the assembly of advanced materials with finely tuned electronic, magnetic and optical properties.

Examples include atomically fine chains of metal atoms (atomic wires), ordered arrays of interacting metal or semiconductor clusters (cluster crystals), and most recently the first zeolite-based material to show evidence of metallic conductivity. We have also been able to use zeolites as precursor materials for the growth of single-crystal metal nanowires and nanoparticles.

Hydrogen is widely regarded as the most promising alternative to carbon-based fuels: it can be produced from a variety of renewable resources, and --- when coupled with fuel cells --- offers near-zero emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. It is widely accepted --- by research councils and automotive companies thoughout the world --- that the development of a viable solid-state storage material (for both mobile and stationary applications) would lead to a step-change in the transition to a 'hydrogen economy'. My group has an extensive ongoing programme, in collaboration with the Department of Metallurgy and Materials, dedicated to the discovery, synthesis and primary characterization of new solid hydrogen storage materials, and to the chemical modification of existing materials to improve their performance.

The incorporation of solid guest materials, notably elemental metals and metal oxides, into zeolites and related framework hosts has been a major focus of our work, and the resulting compounds have been characterized with a battery of experimental techniques carried out both within the School of Chemistry and through research collaborations within and outwith the University of Birmingham. These include electron spin resonance (ESR), powder neutron diffraction, (synchrotron) X-ray diffraction, electron microcroscopy, multinuclear solid state NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), magnetic susceptibility, and microwave conductivity measurements.

Career
2001 - present
Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry in the School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham
1996
The Royal Society of Chemistry/Society of Chemical Industry/British Zeolite Association triennial Barrer Award for the most meritorious work, pure or applied, in the field of molecular sieve zeolites
1993 - 2001
Royal Society Research Fellow in the School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham
1993
Ramsay Memorial Fellow in the Dept of Organic, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Cambridge
1990 - 1993
SERC Postdoctoral Fellowship with Prof P P Edwards FRS in the Dept of Organic, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Cambridge
1987 - 1990
PhD at the University of Cambridge with thesis entitled "Electron Traps and Delocalization in Alkali Metal Zeolites" under the supervision of Prof P P Edwards FRS
1984 - 1987
MA in Natural Sciences at King's College, Cambridge

Synthesis and crystal structure of Li₄BH₄(NH₂)₃. P. A. Chater, W. I. F. David, S. R. Johnson, P. P. Edwards and P. A. Anderson, Chem. Commun., 2006, DOI: 10.1039/b518243c

Silver nitrate in silver zeolite A: three-dimensional incommensurate guest ordering in a zeolite framework. M. Viertelhaus, A. E. Taylor, L. Kloo, I. Gameson and P. A. Anderson, Dalton Trans., 2006, DOI: 10.1039/b517094j

Production of Single-Crystal Copper Wires through Electron Beam Irradiation of Cu-containing Zeolite X. P. A. Anderson, M. J. Edmondson, P. P. Edwards, I. Gameson, P. J. Meadows, S. R. Johnson and W. Zhou, Z. anorg. allg. Chem. 2005, 631, 443−447. DOI: 10.1002/zaac.200400419

Chemical Activation of MgH₂: A New Route to Superior Hydrogen Storage Materials. S. R. Johnson, P. A. Anderson, P. P. Edwards, I. Gameson, J. W. Prendergast, M. Al-Mamouri, D. Book, I. R. Harris, J. D. Speight and A. Walton, Chem. Commun. 2005, 2823-2825. DOI: 10.1039/b503085d

Hydrogen Storage in Ion-Exchanged Zeolites. H. W. Langmi, D. Book, A. Walton, S. R. Johnson, M. M. Al-Mamouri, J. D. Speight, P. P. Edwards, I. R. Harris and P. A. Anderson, J. Alloys Comp. 2005, 404-406, 637-642. DOI: 10.1016/jallcom.2004.12.193

Observation of a Rhombohedral Phase Change During the Dehydration of Zinc-Exchanged Zeolite A. J. E. Readman, I. Gameson, J. A. Hriljac and P. A. Anderson, Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. 2005, 86, 96-105. DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2005.06.038

Rubidium Doped Zeolite Rho: Structure and Microwave Conductivity of a Metallic Zeolite. P. A. Anderson, A. R. Armstrong, P. D. Barker, M. J. Edmondson, P. P. Edwards and A. Porch, Dalton Trans. 2004, 3122-3128. DOI: 10.1039/b402668c

Probing the Location and Distribution of Paramagnetic Centers in Alkali Metal-Loaded Zeolites through ⁷Li MAS NMR. V. V. Terskikh, C. I. Ratcliffe, J. A. Ripmeester, C. J. Reinhold, P. A. Anderson and P. P. Edwards, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 11350-11359. DOI: 10.1021/ja0491580

An Ordered Array of Cadmium Clusters Assembled in Zeolite A. J. E. Readman, P. D. Barker, I. Gameson, J. A. Hriljac, W. Zhou, P. P. Edwards and P. A. Anderson, Chem. Commun. 2004, 736-737. DOI: 10.1039/b400166d